Another fine guest post from Emma Holliday:
Last month, I wrote a guest post about my home state of Rhode Island, but this week I want to talk about my adopted home of Boston. I’ve lived in the greater Boston area for over 4 years, first as a college student, and now as a proper adult.
And I have the knowledge of Boston that comes with being a local.
When we first move to a new city, we spend some of our time exploring – seeing the sights, trying the restaurants, meandering down cute side streets – but we also spend some of our time saying, “I live here, I can see that amazing museum or landmark that people travel across the world to visit any day.” And we end up putting off experiences until we realize we’ve lived in Boston for 4 years and never been to Fenway.
Now, I don’t have much interest in Fenway because I’m not a follower of the Church of Baseball, but my point stands, and I have further anecdotal evidence to back it up.
Last Fall, I spent a few days in Vienna while backpacking Europe, and I couchsurfed with a woman in her early 30s. One evening, she invited me out to dinner with a friend of hers who asked me what I had done that day.
I told them I had gone on a tour of Schönbrunn Palace, one of Vienna’s major attractions and the former summer residence of the Habsburg monarchs. The friend expressed an interest in going there someday because, in her decade of living in Vienna, she’d never visited. My couchsurfing host had been once, on a school trip when she was young, and didn’t remember much about it.
I have similarly vague childhood memories of many of Boston’s major attractions, thanks to growing up in Rhode Island, just a 2-hour drive away. I’ve been aboard the U.S.S. Constitution, and I recommend it as a fun family activity although I can’t give you more details than that.
I walked a portion of The Freedom Trail with my high school history class, where I played the role of annoying kid who knows the answers to all the tour guide’s questions about various Revolutionary sites.
You can, of course, follow the freedom trail route without an official guide, although these days I wouldn’t be able to help answer your questions about why the Old South Meeting House is famous.
The Boston landmark that I remember most fondly from my childhood and which I continue to frequent as an adult is the Museum of Science.
Countless school field trips culminated in a show at the museum’s planetarium or Omni Theater – a dome-shaped IMAX where the screen continues up the curved walls and onto the ceiling.
The indoor lightning show is always a hit with kids and adults, particularly when the presenter stands inside a giant birdcage and wows everyone with his or her ability to remain unharmed while lightning strikes the metal cage.
I remember the musical staircase that children were invited to run up and down in order to play different notes, and which, sadly, no longer exists. I remember each field trip ended with my friends and I spending our souvenir money on astronaut ice cream or rock candy. And I believe that, no matter how old I get, the dinosaur exhibit will always excite and fascinate me.
Despite what the last few paragraphs seem to imply, I have spent some time exploring Boston as an adult, but I’ve explored like a local.
I have an intimate knowledge of the neighborhoods I’ve lived in, and a passing knowledge of most everywhere else. I can tell you that the Museum of Fine Arts makes an excellent first date. I know the public transit is comprehensive, if a little slow, but the city’s also quite walkable, and it would be a shame not to do some exploring on your own two feet.
When you get tired, you can rest on the grass in Boston Common and feel the subway cars rumbling underneath you. I can tell you that taking the ferry to the Boston Harbor Islands is a great escape from city life in the summertime. And although it can get bitterly cold here in the winter, there is nothing like the Fall colors on one of Boston’s many college campuses.
I could go on about my city for longer. I could tell you about the coffee shops I frequent — Diesel Cafe in Davis Square is my absolute favorite, but Voltage, a coffeeshop and art gallery with an interesting list of gourmet lattes is also good.
My local bias is showing because these cafes are in Somerville (where I used to live) and Cambridge, respectively. If you’re looking for an option in Boston proper, Thinking Cup is your best bet.
I could tell you about my favorite restaurants — Cuchi Cuchi for international small plates; Elephant Walk for French, Cambodian, and French-Cambodian food; and Belle Isle Seafood for that classic New England experience.
I could also tell you about the restaurants I’ve been meaning to try, and the museums I still want to visit, and the places I’ve yet to venture, but instead I’ll just say, if you find yourself in Boston, let me know, and we can do some exploring together. I promise we’ll see the city like tourists and like locals.
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Emma Holliday is a freelance writer and travel blogger who likes drinking tea, petting puppies, and analyzing representations of women in media. When she’s not busy wishing she were a polyglot, she’s backpacking Europe, working on an organic farm in Hawai’i, or planning her next misadventure. Read more of Emma’s writing on her blog, An Opportune Moment.
Leipzig: The Spinnerei – Cotton Mill turned Artist Space
I’ve lived in Boston for 17 years and adore it! I have a post on my website that I update at least monthly to show some current goings-on as well as a bunch of information that’s always useful.
http://blondebrunettetravel.com/2013/04/24/the-city-i-love-boston/
After I wrote this post, I realized that lots of people have lived in Boston much longer than I have and might be better suited to advise on what to do there. Thanks for sharing your list!
I feel the same about living in Los Angeles. Although our city’s “history” isn’t nearly as fascinating as Boston’s! I enjoyed this post, especially since I’ll be visiting Boston next month. Thanks for sharing!
Happy travels 🙂
I hope this post gave you some ideas for your time in my city! I’m trying to visit LA before the end of the year, so maybe we can trade tips. 🙂
It’s funny, isn’t it? Tourists come to a city and want to experience it like a local. Locals live there and want to see it like a tourist. I guess ultimately it’s about exploring and learning – in whatever capacity suits you best. But there’s no excuse for being nonchalant!! 🙂
I always think it’s kind of funny when tourists (myself included) want to see a city “like a local” because I know what that phrase is getting at (cool bars and hidden parks, etc.), but taken more literally, it could mean they want to work all day, stay in an apartment far from the city center, watch tv, and get take-out from a restaurant down the street. But my own silly literal thoughts aside, you’re right, there’s no excuse for sitting at home doing nothing. And, at the end of the day, it’s all about traveling in whatever way best suits your needs.
Having folks visit is an excellent excuse to do some of the more touristy things in your home city, explore old haunts and find some new ones. I love Boston (grew up on the south shore) and sharing it with my husband on his first visit was a blast. Most of the things you mentioned were on our list. I would also add Haymarket Pizza as a must do the minute I get to town meal. Stand at the board with a slice and a coke for a real cross section of Boston (and great Boston style pizza).
I have to say Boston is actually a BETTER city today than when I lived there. The people are friendlier, the city is cleaner and the food is even better than when I left in the 80’s.
The food in Boston is so good! I’ll have to try Haymarket Pizza someday soon — thanks for the recommendation. And I agree completely that visits from friends and family are the perfect opportunity to do more touristy things. It’s fun to show people around especially for the first time.
I love Boston and would love to see it with you if life and travel ever permit! Thank you for sharing these fabulous cafe and restaurant suggestions as well as detailing your own history of explorations throughout this gorgeous and incredibly welcoming city!
Thank you for leaving such a sweet comment. Let me know if you’re ever in the city and we can go wandering together. 🙂
I loved this article because I just went to Boston a few weeks ago and some of these places I visited and came to know pretty well. I LOVED Boston, and I can see myself going back again and again. Actually, while I was there I kind of wished I had the opportunity to live there at some point in my life, just like San Francisco and a handful of other places in the world. Such a cool city. I want to do a fall drive through New England for all the glorious colours. Thanks for such a nice post Emma! Maybe we will meet up one day in Boston! Do you also have the cute accent that goes with? x
I’m glad you visited some of these places when you were in Boston, and it’s too bad you’ve never had the opportunity to live here. (Maybe some day in the future?) I hope you come back again soon and we can meet up! I don’t have that charming Boston accent, but I do talk like someone from the Northeast — quickly and with weird slang thrown in. For example, the people who come up to New England to see the Fall colors are called “leaf peepers.” Despite the silly name we have for Fall tourists, I definitely recommend a drive through New England some October. The region really is magical this time of year.
Just got back from Boston. It was the most educational city my family and I ever visited. we did the hop on hop off, I think for visiting it’s necessary, for locals not so much. My brother did the touristy stuff with us for the first time in his 9 years of living here.
Also, the face of Sam Adams beer isn’t Sam Adams, apparently, he wasn’t handsome enough 🙂
Hop on hop off can be a great way to cover a lot in a small amount of time, and I’m glad you found the city so educational! I had no idea Sam Adams isn’t the face of the beer — that’s really silly!
I think we all could do well to actually exploring more of our own cities. I know there’s plenty of Chicago I’ve never seen, and now I’m sure there’s more to Cancún than I’ve allowed myself to experience. Just gotta get rid of that I’ll do it tomorrow mentality.
The “I’ll do it tomorrow” mentality can be so hard to shake. Have fun exploring!
What!? The musical staircase is gone!? That was an integral part of my childhood! 🙁
Supposedly, it’s not gone forever, but I haven’t seen it in a few years. I was super disappointed too!
Boston is a really interesting city. I especially liked the freedom trail as it is a great way to see a lot of different things. The city has such a unique and rich history though. It is a definitely top of the list for the US.
you visited so many gorgeous places on my wish list! Boston looks like something from another world, and your photos capture it beautifully!
you visited so many gorgeous places on my wish list! Boston looks like something from another world, and your photos capture it beautifully!